Providing water service to a home or small business is often a multi-step process. In areas of new construction, such as a subdivision, a water main will be installed and individual service lines will be connected to the water main for supplying water to the homes or other buildings built or to be built along the water main. To this end, a corporation valve and/or a curb valve and box are connected to the water main for each location, and a portion of service line is connected extending from the corporation valve and/or curb valve and box. Sometimes the meter is also set, and a portion of the service line is connected to the building side of the meter.
It is necessary to seal off the extending portion of the service line, in order to test the devices connecting the service line to the water main. If there are no leaks in the corporation valve, curb stop and box, water meter, and connecting pipes and joints, then the water main can be considered completed, and it can be covered over and service can be established through the water main.
Therefore, it is necessary to terminate the distal end of service line for purposes of testing, and it is also desirable to close and seal the service line until service to the home or building is ready to be established. Under present practice, a valve is installed at the distal end of the service line. Installing a valve for purposes of testing and temporary shutoff has several drawbacks. These drawbacks include the time and labor costs necessary to install the valve, as well as the cost of the valve. The valve and its connection to the service line also introduce another potential source of leakage, and a valve is generally simple to operate and therefore subject to vandalism.
Accordingly, there is a need for better equipment and methods for testing the connections of service lines to water mains, and for temporarily sealing the service lines prior to connection of the service line to a building.